AL DIVISION SERIES: YANKEES VS RAYS

October 7, 2026

Victor Mesa, Jr.

Yankee Stadium

Tampa Bay Rays

Postgame 3 Press Conference

Rays, 4 - Yankees, 3

THE MODERATOR: Before the game and now after the game. Congrats, Victor. Questions?

Q. Victor, congratulations. Take us through the home run you hit.

VICTOR MESA, JR.: I mean, he was throwing good pitches. I know the great pitcher he is. And he was hitting the spot the first two AB. And they were throwing me a lot of breaking balls even the whole series.

So I know it was a good moment to throw one. You know what I mean? They know that I am an aggressive hitter. And I was not always on foul ball timing, but he threw that breaking ball that kind of stayed in the middle, and that's good, I could get that contact and help the team to get ahead on the score.

Q. I understand you looked at the dugout after you hit the home run and Kevin Cash told you to run. Could you talk about that?

VICTOR MESA, JR.: I feel that that's baseball. I was excited for the moment. I always like to enjoy with my people. And that's baseball. I feel like there is nothing else to talk about it.

Q. Going through the journey of this entire season with the Rays, what does it mean to have a big moment like that in the ALDS here against the Yankees?

VICTOR MESA, JR.: And Victor's response was first off, thank you to God. Thank you to God for putting me in this position, and the Almighty is always in control. Especially thank you to my family. My family has done everything for me. They've been through every single step of the journey for me. Every single step of the way they've been supporting me and having my back.

At the beginning of the year, I started being designated for assignment and look at me now. Look at where I'm at. Also just extremely thankful, extremely grateful for everybody on the staff, every single player, the coach, Kevin Cash just for the belief they had in me.

When I first started with the Rays, I wasn't hitting anything. I wasn't getting any single base hits. I wasn't getting on base at all. Things started to warm up for me. Yeah, just extremely thankful for the opportunity I've been given, extremely thankful to the coaching staff and players and first and foremost my family and God for putting me in this position and super, super excited to help out the team today.

Q. On the TV broadcast after the home run, Junior Caminero said that you were using his bat. I guess were you and if so, why?

VICTOR MESA, JR.: No. No. It was not that I was using his bat. He say that -- we don't really like to take like the main role. And he was joking with me saying that I hit that homer because he got the base hit first. So he was saying it was his fault that I hit the homer because it was two outs. I figured out the inning was over. That's what he was trying to say.

Q. What did you see on the play in left field with the fan interference?

VICTOR MESA, JR.: I mean, I feel that they couldn't even call it out. I feel that it was a possibility that the ball hit my glove. I feel the ball was carried a little bit with the wind. But if they decide that it was for a reason, we are ready to play, not to judge.

It is what it is. I feel that they could even call it out, but they decide that. Something that we're okay with that, and we get the win when we went forward. And that's our goal, and we stay working.

Q. Victor, you hit for more power this year than I think you had in the minors and what the scouting reports suggested on you as a prospect.

Is there something that changed when you came over to the Rays that helped you unlock that power and anything you could point to as far as your swing?

VICTOR MESA, JR.: It's windy in New York. I mean, I don't know. I felt that all the work that I am putting in the cage, that I'm putting with my coaches, that I'm putting in offseason, that I'm putting in the workout, like when I work out in the gym, like everything is coming out.

I feel like you go to the home plate with a plan to hit the ball hard, to hit the ball to the middle, and then the balls are going out. So keep working. That is working. That's all I gotta say.

Q. Victor, you talked about being designated for assignment. Do you remember the day when you realized that you found a home with the Rays? What was the turning point?

VICTOR MESA, JR.: When I come back to that, it was like three days before spring training that I get the notice. I always believe in God because I always believe on the hard work, be a good person, and be a good teammate and always believe in my skills.

Things were not going my ways. I can tell you why, because all of this is happening in my career right now. So I just want to thank all the people that is involved in that because everything happen for a reason. People think like, not here, but I was mad at that. I feel that that was a step that it have to be in my career.

All my family were kind of sad when that happened because like young people when you sign, you think that you're going to be forever on the team or things like that. But just believe in God plan. I feel that I'm at home right now. I feel that I'm where I gotta be, and it's because of those people in that clubhouse that made me feel great.

So besides that, I just want to say that I always told my family that all is going to be okay, that that's part of the process. That's life. And I just want to thank God for being here. He got a better plan than what we all have.

Q. What is the feeling when you hit the ball so hard you don't even have to watch it land, you know it's a home run?

VICTOR MESA, JR.: I mean, I feel that is the best feeling in baseball, besides winning. When you are at home plate, I feel that that's the stage that you always dream on. I say that more than -- more than worry about the crowd or whatever, I just want to thank God for letting me live these moments, because that's the moment that you want to live when you're growing up.

And since I hit it, I knew it was going out. When you don't even feel the bat, that means that you got good contact. And just blessed to be here and help the team. That's my goal is help the team, defense, offense, whatever it is to get the win.

Q. When you and your brother left Cuba, did you dream about moments like this?

VICTOR MESA, JR.: I mean, I lie to you if I don't say no. But you never know what to expect because I never thought that I am going to play for the Rays. But everything happen for a reason. When we defect, we know that we want to live moments like this. I want to thank him because he's a big part of why I'm here. Unfortunately he couldn't make it.

But I say God's plan for everyone, and I feel that I'm living for him, for my dad, for my whole family and all the persons that are around and that helped me get here.